Scouting for Young Talent

General Growth Properties is taking a novel approach to its annual “Back to School” promotion at its Brass Mill Center in Waterbury, Conn. Mall management has partnered with a local Girl Scouts Troop and created what it's calling the “Mall Troopers” program. Aimed at girls between the ages of 11 and 15, the program provides young girls with hands-on training in the mall's daily operations including working at the movie theater, planning events and community projects and working with various retailers. The Mall Troopers meet for an hour and a half at Brass Mill Center each week to polish design skills, learn about medicine and nutrition and keep up to date on social happenings through the different weekly activities. Recent activities of the Troopers include creating a summer-themed storefront for a window at the mall's KB Toys, touring the Lenscrafters lab and seeing the on-site doctor of optometry for an eye exam, getting tips at the center's Be Well Center and learning about film development at the JCPenney Portrait Studio.